Preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy MRI characteristics favouring pathologic complete response in patients with rectal cancer: Usefulness of MR T2‐stage as an ancillary finding for predicting pathologic complete response

Abstract

Introduction This study sought to assess preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐based findings according to a structured MRI report template for primary staging of rectal cancer, and to evaluate the prognostic relevance of the pre‐CRT MRI‐based findings in patients with rectal cancer after CRT. Methods We retrospectively evaluated pre‐ and post‐CRT MRI data of patients with pathologically proven rectal adenocarcinoma, between January 2008 and October 2019. Image interpretation was performed independently by two radiologists and each reviewer assessed the cancer characteristics on MRI, based on the structured MRI report for primary staging. MRI‐based findings associated with pathologic complete tumour regression grade (TRG) after CRT were analysed by univariate and multivariate analysis. Significant factors from pre‐CRT MRI were weighted to score mrTRG in post‐CRT MRI. Results On univariate analysis, MR T‐stage, tumour infiltration, mesorectal fascia involvement, extramural vascular invasion and serum carcinoembryonic antigen level correlated significantly with pathologic complete response (pCR). Multivariate analysis identified that only MR T‐stage was independently associated with pCR (odds ratio, 3.89, 95% confidence interval, 1.18–12.84; P = 0.0278). Adding MRI‐based T2‐stage as an ancillary finding to mrTRG statistically significantly improved the sensitivity as compared to using only mrTRG for considering a CR. T2_mrTRG was significantly different in terms of the time to tumour progression between the CR and non‐CR group. Conclusions The MR T2‐stage was independently associated with pCR after CRT in patients with rectal cancer and was helpful as ancillary predictive factor, adding to mrTRG for prediction of pCR.